Airport light system

ABSTRACT

An airport light system is disclosed, which includes an airport guidance sign circuit, and an airport light installation coupled to the airport guidance sign circuit that includes a guidance sign component activated in an ON position of the airport guidance sign circuit and deactivated in an OFF position of the airport guidance sign circuit, a runway guard light component, a rechargeable battery coupled to the runway guard light, a battery charger for recharging the rechargeable battery, and the runway guard light component activated a) by the airport guidance sign circuit in the ON position of the airport guidance sign circuit, and b) by the rechargeable battery in the OFF position of the airport guidance sign circuit.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to airport light systems andinstallations.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Modern airports incorporate specialized lighting systems including, forinstance, runway touchdown zone lighting systems, runway centerlinelighting systems, taxiway centerline lighting systems, and edge lightingsystems. Edge lighting systems are important because they help to definerunways and taxiways and inhibit pilots from inadvertently driving theirairplanes off the designated runway and taxiway areas.

Two of the most important types of lighting fixtures of airport lightingsystems are guidance signs, and runway guard lights. Guidance signs areused on airport taxiways to mark taxi routes and intersections. Guidancesigns are provided in different colors, including black-on-yellow,yellow-on-black, or white-on-red. The color of a guidance sign dependson the application of the guidance sign as defined by applicablegoverning standards. A runway guard light is an elevated or in-pavementflashing yellow light fixture that provides distinctive warnings topilots that they are approaching a runway holding position and are aboutto enter an active runway.

Guidance signs operate at night, and during periods of poor visibility,such as during bad weather and during foggy conditions. During daylighthours when visibility is not impaired due to poor weather conditions,the internal lighting of guidance signs is turned OFF in order to saveon electrical and maintenance costs. Moreover, governing standards donot require guidance signs to be operational during daylight hours whenvisibility is not impaired due to poor weather conditions. However,runway guard lights must be operational at all times as required byapplicable governing standards.

Guidance signs of airport lighting systems are wired electrically inseries with a guidance sign circuit, which may include a dedicatedguidance sign circuit, a taxiway edge circuit, or a runway edge lightcircuit. In order for the runway guard light to operate in times of goodvisibility when the runway edge or taxiway edge circuits are turned OFF,runway guard lights of airport lighting systems are also wiredelectrically in series with a runway guard light circuit. The electricalwiring of a guidance sign circuit providing electrical power to guidancesigns is separate from the electrical wiring of the runway guard lightcircuit providing electrical power to the runway guard lights. This isimportant and currently required due to the different operationalcharacteristics of guidance signs and runway guard lights. Inparticular, runway guard lights must not be turned off. Guidance signscan be turned OFF manually, such as by the air traffic controllers inthe air traffic control center or tower, or automatically, such as by atimer or photocell. If runway guard lights were connected to the sameelectrical infrastructure as the guidance signs, the runway guard lightscould accidentally be turned OFF due to operator error or a systematicerror, which could lead to disastrous results.

Although it is important and currently necessary for guidance signs andrunway guard lights to have their own electrical wiring infrastructure,wiring an airport with separate guidance sign and guard light electricalwiring infrastructures is very expensive, difficult, and time consuming.Also, the cost of the electricity required to constantly power runwayguard lights is also very expensive.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the principle of the invention, an airport lightingsystem is disclosed which includes an airport guidance sign circuit, anairport light installation coupled to the airport guidance sign circuitincluding a guidance sign component activated in an ON position of theairport guidance sign circuit and deactivated in an OFF position of theairport guidance sign circuit, a runway guard light component, arechargeable battery coupled to the runway guard light, and a batterycharger for recharging the rechargeable battery, wherein the runwayguard light component is activated a) by the airport guidance signcircuit in the ON position of the airport guidance sign circuit, and b)by the rechargeable battery in the OFF position of the airport guidancesign circuit. The battery charger is coupled to the airport guidancesign circuit, and is activated by the airport guidance sign circuit inthe ON position thereof for recharging the rechargeable battery. Theinstallation also includes a solar panel coupled to the battery chargerfor generating electricity and activating the battery charger inresponse to exposure to sunlight. The guidance sign component ispreferably affixed to the runway guard light component. In a particularembodiment, the guidance sign component marks an airport intersection.In another embodiment, the guidance sign component marks an airport taxiroute.

Another embodiment of an airport light system includes an airportguidance sign circuit, a runway guard light component coupled to theairport guidance sign circuit, a rechargeable battery coupled to therunway guard light, and a battery charger for recharging therechargeable battery, wherein the runway guard light component isactivated a) by the airport guidance sign circuit in an ON position ofthe airport guidance sign circuit, and b) by the rechargeable battery inan OFF position of the airport guidance sign circuit. A guidance signcomponent is coupled to the airport guidance sign circuit, is affixed tothe runway guard light component, and is activated in the ON position ofthe airport guidance sign circuit and deactivated in the OFF position ofthe airport guidance sign circuit. The battery charger is coupled to theairport guidance sign circuit, and is activated by the airport guidancesign circuit in the ON position thereof for recharging the rechargeablebattery. A solar panel is coupled to the battery charger for generatingelectricity and activating the battery charger in response to exposureto sunlight. In a particular embodiment, the guidance sign componentmarks an airport intersection. In another embodiment, the guidance signcomponent marks an airport taxi route.

Yet another embodiment of an airport light system includes an airportlight fixture, adapted to be coupled to an airport guidance signcircuit, including a guidance sign component, a runway guard lightcomponent, a rechargeable battery coupled to the runway guard light forproviding the runway guard light component with backup power, and abattery charger for recharging the rechargeable battery. The batterycharger is adapted to be coupled to the airport guidance sign circuit. Asolar panel is coupled to the battery charger for generating electricityand activating the battery charger in response to exposure to sunlight.In a particular embodiment, the guidance sign component marks an airportintersection. In another embodiment, the guidance sign component marksan airport taxi route.

Yet still a further embodiment of an airport light system includes anairport guidance sign circuit, and an airport light installation coupledto the airport guidance sign circuit including a guidance sign componentmarking an intersection and activated in an ON position of the airportguidance sign circuit and deactivated in an OFF position of the airportguidance sign circuit, a runway guard light component marking a runwayholding position adjacent to the intersection, a rechargeable batterycoupled to the runway guard light, and a battery charger for rechargingthe rechargeable battery, wherein the runway guard light component isactivated a) by the airport guidance sign circuit in the ON position ofthe airport guidance sign circuit, and b) by the rechargeable battery inthe OFF position of the airport guidance sign circuit. The batterycharger is coupled to the airport guidance sign circuit, and isactivated by the airport guidance sign circuit in the ON positionthereof for recharging the rechargeable battery. A solar panel iscoupled to the battery charger for generating electricity and activatingthe battery charger in response to exposure to sunlight. The guidancesign component is affixed to the runway guard light component.

Consistent with the foregoing summary of preferred embodiments of theinvention and the ensuing specification, which are to be taken together,the invention also contemplates associated apparatus and methodembodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of an airport light installation including aguidance sign component and a runway guard light component, inaccordance with the principle of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmented isometric view of the airport light installationof FIG. 1 shown as it would appear installed at an airport;

FIG. 3 is a fragmented isometric view of the airport light installationof FIG. 1, with portions of the runway guard light component removed forthe purpose of illustration;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the airport light installation ofFIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of an airport runway system illustrating anairport lighting system incorporating airport light installationsconstructed and arranged in accordance with the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Turning now to the drawings, in which like reference characters indicatecorresponding elements throughout the several views, attention is firstdirected to FIGS. 1 and 4, in which there is seen an airport lightsystem including an airport light installation 10 consisting of a lightfixture 11 including a guidance sign component 12 and a runway guardlight component 13, which are maintained and held by a housing 14 havingopposing ends 15 and 16, a top 17, and an opposing bottom 18. Housing 14is fashioned of stainless steel, aluminum, titanium, plastic,fiberglass, or other material or combination of materials resistant tolong-term exposure to rain, snow, heat, cold, sunlight, and otherexternal influences. Housing 14 can be integrally formed, fashioned of asingle piece of material, or fashioned from a plurality of separateparts rigidly affixed together by welding, gluing, screws, rivets, etc.In a preferred embodiment, housing 14 is a high-strength aluminumextrusion housing.

Housing 14 affixes guidance sign component 12 to runway guard lightcomponent 13. If desired, guidance sign component 12 and runway guardlight component 13 can be provided as separate, discrete units havingtheir own housings, and which are then secured together, such as byscrews, rivets, welding, etc. In accordance with the principle of theinvention, guidance sign component 12 can be retrofitted with runwayguard light component 13. For the purpose of this disclosure, it will beunderstood that affixing a separate guidance sign component to aseparate runway guard light component forms the light fixture of theinstant invention, in which the two housings function as housing 14 whenthey are affixed to one another. Housing 14 is a structural support, andcan take on any form.

Housing 14 supports opposing covers 30 and 31, which are located on oneside of housing 14 forming a front face of light fixture 11. Covers 30and 31 are secured in place to housing 14 with screws, nut-and-boltassemblies, rivets, channels, brackets, etc. Cover 30 is part ofguidance sign component 12, and cover 31 is part of runway guard lightcomponent 13.

Cover 30 is fashioned of a light translucent material, such as lighttranslucent plastic or the like, and has a predetermined color. Amessage 35 is applied to cover 30, which identifies a section of anairport, such as a taxi route one a particular embodiment of theinvention, or an intersection in another embodiment of the invention. Aswith conventional guidance signs, message 35 can have any number ofcharacters, which will normally depend on the information desired to beconveyed. The cover of guidance sign component 12 has a predeterminedmessage/cover color combination, such as black-on-yellow,yellow-on-black, white-on-red, white-on-black, etc. The message/covercolor combination depends on the application of guidance sign component12 as defined by appropriate governing compliance standards, such asthose set forth by the United States Federal Aviation Administration.Guidance sign component 12 includes other conventional features commonlyfound in conjunction with known airport guidance signs, including, amongother things, a specification grade electrical system, one or more lampsmaintained in housing 14 behind cover 30 and of the type having a longlamp life, a self-adjusting ballast, and couplings 36 located at bottom18 for mounting to in-ground airport light base fixtures or containersor as mounted on angle iron stakes or as mounted on a concretepad/foundation. As matter of example, a lamp 37 of guidance signcomponent is depicted in FIG. 2, which is a fragmented isometric view ofinstallation 10 shown as it would appear installed at an airport 40.Couplings 36 are preferably breakable couplings in accordance withstandard practice.

Guidance sign component 12 is intended to be generally representative ofa typical airport guidance sign. Details of guidance sign component 12not specifically illustrated and described will be readily understoodand appreciated by those skilled in the art.

Runway guard light component 13 is a flashing light fixture thatprovides a distinctive warning to pilots that they are approaching arunway holding position and are about to enter an active runway.Considering runway guard light component 13 in conjunction with FIGS. 1and 4, cover 31, which is fashioned of plastic, aluminum, steel, or thelike, has opposing openings 50 and 51 therethrough at which arepositioned lamps 52 and 53, respectively. Located in housing 14 behindcover 31 are, as seen in FIG. 3, a rechargeable battery 60, a batterycharger 61, a controller 66, and a pair of opposing, parallel uprights62 and 63 to which are secured lamps 52 and 53, respectively. Lamps 52and 53 may be fixed or adjustable as to direction in respect to angle ofheight or lateral aiming. A solar panel 64 is mounted to top 17 ofhousing 14 at runway guard light component 13, and is disposedexteriorly so as to be capable of accepting sunlight energy andconverting it into electricity.

Runway guard light component 13 has a specification grade electricalsystem (not shown), which electrically couples lamps 52 and 53 tobattery 60, battery 60 to battery charger 61 and controller 66, andbattery charger 61 to solar panel 64. Runway guard light component 13,like guidance sign component 12, has couplings 36 located at bottom 18for mounting to in-ground airport light base fixtures, stakes, concretepad/foundation, etc. It is to be understood that any number of couplings36 can be used with installation 10. When runway guard light component13 is activated, lamps 52 and 53 provide alternating flashes at a flashrate of approximately 45–50 alternating flashes per minute. Controller66 governs the flashing rate of lamps 52 and 53, as is common with knownrunway guard lights. In accordance with conventional practice, lamps 52and 53 flash yellow light, but through lamp selection or filters can bemade to flash other colors.

In accordance with the principle of the invention, installation 10 isinstalled on the side of a hold line 70 for a runway/taxiway 71, asgenerally illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 5, of a Surface Movement Guidanceand Control System (SMGCS) or for a runway entrance control at acontrolled or uncontrolled airfield. Guidance sign component 12identifies taxiway/runway 71, or the intersection 72 of runway 71 withanother runway/taxiway 75, and runway guard light component 13 providesa warning to pilots that they are approaching a runway holding positionas identified by hold line 70. Couplings 36 are secured to in-groundlight base containers (not shown) in a conventional manner, andinstallation 10 is, in accordance with the principle of the invention,coupled to the airport guidance sign circuit 80 forming part of theairport guidance lighting system of airport 40. Guidance sign circuit 80can include a dedicated guidance sign circuit, a taxiway edge circuit, arunway edge light circuit, or the like.

In FIGS. 1–4, the electrical wiring of guidance sign circuit 80 is shownassociated with each coupling 36, and is coupled electrically to theelectrical systems of guidance sign component 12 and runway guard lightcomponent 13. Typically, the wiring of guidance sign circuit 80 passesthrough couplings 36 and is electrically coupled to the electricalsystems of components 12 and 13. If desired, the electrical wiring ofguidance sign circuit 80 can be associated with less that all ofcouplings 36, if desired, and even one, so long as there is anelectrical coupling between guidance sign circuit 80 and components 12and 13. Any conventional wiring can be used for coupling guidance signcircuit 80 to components 12 and 13.

Guidance sign component 12 operates at night, and during periods of poorvisibility, such as during bad weather and during foggy conditions.During daylight hours when visibility is not impaired due to poorweather conditions, guidance sign component 12 is turned off in order tosave on electrical and maintenance costs. When guidance sign circuit 80is turned ON or activated, electrical power is provided to theelectrical system of guidance sign component 12 which activates guidancesign component 12. When guidance sign component 12 is activated, itbecomes an illuminated display, in which its lamp or lamps areilluminated for illuminating cover 30 making it, and message 35, highlyvisible. When guidance sign circuit 80 is turned ON or activated,electrical power is also provided to the electrical system of runwayguard light component 13 which activates runway guard light component13. When runway guard light component 13 is activated, controller 66operates lamps 52 and 53, in which lamps 52 and 53 flash back-and-forthat a flash rate of approximately 45–50 flashes per minute. Power is alsosupplied to battery charger 61 when guidance sign circuit 80 is ON,which activates it. When battery charger 61 is activated, it chargesrechargeable battery 61 with electrical power.

During the operational period in which guidance sign circuit 80 is ONand activating components 12 and 13, battery charger 61 charges battery60. When the operation of guidance sign component 12 is no longerrequired, such as during daylight hours, guidance sign circuit 80 isshut OFF (either manually or automatically), which deactivates guidancesign component 12. When guidance sign circuit 80 is turned OFF, battery60 provides power, i.e., backup power, to controller 66 and lamps 52 and53 providing uninterrupted operation of runway guard light component 13until guidance sign circuit 80 is turned back ON, such as at night,reactivating guidance sign component 12, and reactivating batterycharger 61 for recharging rechargeable battery 61 so that rechargeablebattery 61 has enough power to provide uninterrupted operation of runwayguard light component 13 when guidance sign circuit 80 is again turnedOFF. The operation of guidance sign circuit 80 can be manual, orautomatic, such as with a timer or photocell.

Solar panel 64 is coupled electrically to battery charger 61 with theelectrical system of runway guard light component 13. When exposed tosunlight, solar panel 64, which is conventional in nature, converts theenergy of sunlight into electrical energy that it provides to batterycharger 61 activating it for recharging rechargeable battery 61. Solarpanel 64 provides a redundant layer of power backup for runway guardlight component 13. When guidance sign circuit 80 is OFF during daylighthours and power is being provided by rechargeable battery 61, solarpanel 64 provides battery charger 61 with electrical power, which allowsbattery charger 61 to continually recharge rechargeable battery duringdaylight hours when guidance sign circuit is OFF.

The present invention is described above with reference to a preferredembodiment. However, those skilled in the art will recognize thatchanges and modifications may be made in the described embodimentwithout departing from the nature and scope of the present invention.Various changes and modifications to the embodiment herein chosen forpurposes of illustration will readily occur to those skilled in the art.To the extent that such modifications and variations do not depart fromthe spirit of the invention, they are intended to be included within thescope thereof.

1. Apparatus comprising: an airport guidance sign circuit; an airportlight installation coupled to the airport guidance sign circuit,comprising: a guidance sign component activated in an ON position of theairport guidance sign circuit and deactivated in an OFF position of theairport guidance sign circuit, a runway guard light component, arechargeable battery coupled to the runway guard light component, abattery charger for recharging the rechargeable battery, and the runwayguard light component activated a) by the airport guidance sign circuitin the ON position of the airport guidance sign circuit, and b) by therechargeable battery in the OFF position of the airport guidance signcircuit.
 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the battery chargeris coupled to the airport guidance sign circuit, and is activated by theairport guidance sign circuit in the ON position thereof for rechargingthe rechargeable battery.
 3. Apparatus according to claim 1, furthercomprising a solar panel coupled to the battery charger for generatingelectricity and activating the battery charger in response to exposureto sunlight.
 4. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guidancesign component is affixed to the runway guard light component. 5.Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guidance sign componentmarks an airport intersection.
 6. Apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the guidance sign component marks an airport taxi route. 7.Apparatus comprising: an airport guidance sign circuit; a runway guardlight component coupled to the airport guidance sign circuit; arechargeable battery coupled to the runway guard light component; abattery charger for recharging the rechargeable battery; and the runwayguard light component activated a) by the airport guidance sign circuitin an ON position of the airport guidance sign circuit, and b) by therechargeable battery in an OFF position of the airport guidance signcircuit.
 8. Apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising aguidance sign component coupled to the airport guidance sign circuit,affixed to the runway guard light component, and activated in the ONposition of the airport guidance sign circuit and deactivated in the OFFposition of the airport guidance sign circuit.
 9. Apparatus according toclaim 8, wherein the guidance sign component marks an airportintersection.
 10. Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the guidancesign component marks an airport taxi route.
 11. Apparatus according toclaim 7, wherein the battery charger is coupled to the airport guidancesign circuit, and is activated by the airport guidance sign circuit inthe ON position thereof for recharging the rechargeable battery. 12.Apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a solar panel coupledto the battery charger for generating electricity and activating thebattery charger in response to exposure to sunlight.
 13. Apparatuscomprising: an airport light fixture, adapted to be coupled to anairport guidance sign circuit, including a guidance sign component, anda runway guard light component; a rechargeable battery coupled to therunway guard light component for providing the runway guard lightcomponent with backup power; and a battery charger for recharging therechargeable battery.
 14. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein thebattery charger is adapted to be coupled to the airport guidance signcircuit.
 15. Apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising a solarpanel coupled to the battery charger for generating electricity andactivating the battery charger in response to exposure to sunlight. 16.Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the guidance sign componentmarks an airport intersection.
 17. Apparatus according to claim 13,wherein the guidance sign component marks an airport taxi route. 18.Apparatus comprising: an airport guidance sign circuit; an airport lightinstallation coupled to the airport guidance sign circuit, comprising: aguidance sign component marking an intersection and activated in an ONposition of the airport guidance sign circuit and deactivated in an OFFposition of the airport guidance sign circuit, a runway guard lightcomponent marking a runway holding position adjacent to theintersection, a rechargeable battery coupled to the runway guard lightcomponent, a battery charger for recharging the rechargeable battery,and the runway guard light component activated a) by the airportguidance sign circuit in the ON position of the airport guidance signcircuit, and b) by the rechargeable battery in the OFF position of theairport guidance sign circuit.
 19. Apparatus according to claim 18,wherein the battery charger is coupled to the airport guidance signcircuit, and is activated by the airport guidance sign circuit in the ONposition thereof for recharging the rechargeable battery.
 20. Apparatusaccording to claim 18, further comprising a solar panel coupled to thebattery charger for generating electricity and activating the batterycharger in response to exposure to sunlight.
 21. Apparatus according toclaim 18 wherein the guidance sign component is affixed to the runwayguard light component.